A HEALTHY diet maintains and improves overall health but with thousands of diet tips emerging every day, it can be difficult to establish what’s best for you. A dietician has outlined three main points to prioritise when it comes to a balanced diet.
A balanced diet is so important because it supplies nutrients the body needs to work effectively. Without balanced nutrition, your body is more prone to disease, infection, fatigue, and low performance.
There are seven “essential” factors for a balanced diet – carbs, protein, fat, fibre, vitamins, minerals and water.
And it’s crucial for a person to ensure they are consuming vital nutrients.
These nutrients must be consumed through dietary sources to maintain ideal health standards.
Leading nutritionist Jenny Tschiesche, revealed her top three tips to maintain a healthier lifestyle.
1. Be portion aware
Think of a plate of food as split into 25 percent carbohydrate, 25 percent protein and 50 percent non-starchy vegetables.
Healthy high-carb foods
Quinoa
Oats
Buckwheat
Bananas
Sweet potatoes
Beets
Oranges
Blueberries
Good protein sources
Seafood
White-meat poultry
Milk, cheese and yoghurt
Eggs
Beans
Pork tenderloin
Soy
Good protein sources
Seafood
White-meat poultry
Milk, cheese and yogurt
Eggs
Beans
Pork tenderloin
Soy
Lean beef
Common non-starchy vegetables
Amaranth or Chinese spinach
Artichoke
Artichoke hearts
Asparagus
Baby corn
Bamboo shoots
Beans
Bean sprouts
2. The more colour, the better
Try and eat a variety of colours when it comes to fruit and vegetables.
A lack of green leafy vegetables is common and yet that is an opportunity for a great variety of important nutrients missed.
New research conducted by KIND Snacks revealed only 27 percent of adults aged 19-64 actually do so.
A diet rich in vegetables and fruits can have numerous health benefits, such as lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, prevent some types of cancer, lower risk of eye and digestive problems and have a positive effect upon blood sugar, which can help keep appetite in check and aid weight loss.
3. Prioritise sleep
Sleep is an essential function that allows your body and mind to recharge.
And Jenny noted that the connection between sleep and hormones related to both hunger and satiety is now very clear.
Those lacking sufficient sleep are not only hungrier but also less satisfied by the food they eat.
The NHS also has a list of key things people should be doing in order to maintain a balanced diet.
They include:
Base your meals on higher fibre starchy carbohydrates
Eat lots of fruit and veg
Eat more fish, including a portion of oily fish
Cut down on saturated fat and sugar
Eat less salt: no more than 6g a day for adults
Get active and be a healthy weight
Drink water
Don’t skip breakfast
